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PIPER CUB---DANGEROUS?

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by Bob Parks, Dec 19, 2012.

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  1. Bob Parks

    Bob Parks F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2003
    8,018
    Shoreline,Washington
    Full Name:
    Robert Parks
    #26 Bob Parks, Dec 21, 2012
    I kicked off this discussion when I ran across someone who blasted the Cub as being a horrible airplane and feared by Alaska Bush pilots. These comments bowled me over because I learned to fly in an old 1937 Cub with a hard breathing 55HP Lycoming. My instructor took us through loops and spins long before I soloed and after I soloed, stalls and spins were always a part of the flying fun. Before the solo my instructor and I were shooting landings and while we were on the downwind leg he asked if it "appeared' that we were flying at good airspeed. Yeah, we were moving right along. " You think so? Okay I'm going to show you how a lot of students kill themselves by looking at the ground and not the airspeed indicator." He cranked around into a tight downwind turn onto base and we were in a spin immediately. He did a one turn spin with a timely recovery. That lesson has never left my mind and it demonstrated what is probably the cause of many stall spin incidents...low and too slow. I have seen many ham-fisted pilots abuse their "flying" the Cub and it leads me to believe that the pilots in fatal accidents have to be examined as much or more than the airplane.
     
  2. James_Woods

    James_Woods F1 World Champ

    May 17, 2006
    12,755
    Dallas, Tx.
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    James K. Woods
    #27 James_Woods, Dec 21, 2012
    Well said - and thanks for relating just about the silliest airplane theory I have ever heard:

    "Alaskan Bush Pilots feared the Cub for being a horrible airplane" -
     
  3. Spasso

    Spasso F1 World Champ

    Feb 16, 2003
    14,656
    The fabulous PNW
    Full Name:
    Han Solo
    #28 Spasso, Dec 21, 2012
    FIXED
     
  4. James_Woods

    James_Woods F1 World Champ

    May 17, 2006
    12,755
    Dallas, Tx.
    Full Name:
    James K. Woods
    #29 James_Woods, Dec 23, 2012
    Now, if you want to talk about a "trainer-sports plane" with REALLY vicious snap spin characteristics, we could talk about the original AA1 Yankee American (designed by Jim Bede).

    This was the one before Grumman redesigned it - it had a laminar wing airfoil, with little short wings, fairly small rudder, and was short coupled. It was good looking, fairly fast, much more sexy than a 152, but I think it had the potential to kill a lot of low time pilots who did not respect it.

    The later Grumman versions had a different wing and better stall dynamics.

    But, that is probably a different thread.

    BTW - yes, I have a couple hundred hours in these because they were just so much more "fighter plane cool" than the boring old Cessna 152s, and they were the only two things on the field that I could afford to rent in those days.
     
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